Field
This disclosure is generally related to remote stations for wireless computer networks. More specifically, this disclosure is related to a compact networking device that can be easily mounted on a radio tower or at other a hard-to-reach locations.
Related Art
Cellular networks are typically realized using point-to-multipoint radios mounted on a radio tower, driven by a base station set up at the base of the tower. Also, some Internet service providers (ISPs) provide Internet connectivity to remote locations by installing radio towers that use point-to-point antennas to relay the network connection to the remote location. Some radio towers include both point-to-point and point-to-multipoint radios that are driven by a ground-level base station at the base of the tower.
Oftentimes, these base stations are put together using existing networking components that are configured to work together to achieve a desired goal. These components typically include routers, switches, power supplies, and server computers that are installed on a server rack and enclosed in a metal cabinet with ventilation. Deploying a remote station is a tedious job that requires a technician to select which components to install into the cabinet, and to decide how to configure each of these components.
In many cases, it can be difficult and time consuming for a technician to maintain these remote stations. This is because the technician may need to connect to each individual component installed in the cabinet to determine its status, and to diagnose any potential problems. To make matters worse, service providers may change the strategy they use to set up these remote stations over time, which results in their remote stations having different configurations from each other.
Unfortunately, this results in non-homogenous remote stations that each has a different set of hardware or software components, and each needs to be monitored or controlled in a different way. This non-homogenous nature can cause a technician valuable time in servicing a remote station deployed using equipment that the technician has little or no experience with, as it can require the technician to first decipher how the remote station has been set up before he can even determine what he can do to service or repair the remote station.